A user environment, such as a residence or an office building for example, may be configured using various types of load control systems. Load control systems may include lighting systems; motorized window treatment systems; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; and/or the like. Most load control systems require the use of various devices for performing load control. Such load control systems may be embodied in a two-part load control system that includes a control-target device for directly controlling the electrical load and a control-source device, such as a remote control, for indirectly controlling the electrical load by sending instructions to the control-target device. Using such load control systems, a user may indirectly control an electrical load using a control-source device.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a prior art load control environment 102. As shown in FIG. 1, the load control environment 102 may include control-source devices and control-target devices. The control-target devices may include a lighting control device 104 (e.g., a dimmer switch, a ballast, or a light-emitting diode (LED) driver) for directly controlling an amount of power provided to lighting load 106, a motorized window treatment 112 for controlling the position of a covering material 114, a thermostat 120 for controlling an HVAC system, and a plug-in control device 122 (e.g., alternating current (AC) plug-in control device) for controlling the amount of power provided to a floor lamp 124, a table lamp, or the electrical load of another device that is plugged in to the plug-in control device 122. The control-source devices in the load control environment 102 may include a remote control device 116, a daylight sensor 108, an occupancy sensor 110, and/or a window sensor 126.
The control-source devices may communicate control instructions for controlling an electrical load to a control-target device via digital messages that may be transmitted via a wired or wireless communication, e.g., via radio-frequency (RF) signals. The remote control device 116 may transmit a digital message that indicates load control instructions based on the actuation of one or more buttons for controlling an electrical load. The daylight sensor 108 may transmit a digital message that indicates load control instructions based on a level of daylight sensed in the load control environment 102. The occupancy sensor 110 may transmit a digital message that indicates load control instructions based on an occupancy or vacancy condition sensed in the load control environment 102. The window sensor 126 may transmit a digital message that indicates load control instructions based on a level of daylight intensity sensed from outside of the load control environment 102.
The control-source devices in the load control system depicted in FIG. 1 may provide convenient ways for a user 118 to control an electrical load. These load control systems, however, require the user 118 to keep track of the location of one or more devices for controlling the system. A user's control may also be limited due to a predefined interface or the limited instructions provided by the control device.
Gesture recognition is a developing technology, which is being considered for use in load control systems to enable a convenient form of load control. Gesture recognition may be used to enable the user 118 to send instructions to a control-target device without the use of a remote control or a similar control-source device. In order to perform gesture-based load control, additional equipment, such as a camera for capturing images of a user, may need to be installed in the load control environment 102. There may be advantages to providing gesture control for an electrical load using other devices.